Sunday, May 31, 2009

Pete Rose. Charlie Hustle. Baseball's hit king. Pete was by far one of the best players to ever play. He was an All-Star 17 times. He won two Gold Gloves and two World Series rings. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1963, NL MVP in 1973, and World Series MVP in 1975. You name it, Pete Rose did it. Sure, maybe he bet on a few baseball games but is that really any worse than everyone from the "Steroid Era" using performance enhancing drugs?

Pete signed the card below for me TTM last week. It is one of my best returns ever and am glad to have this card in my collection.

While you admire this awesome signed card of Pete Rose, consider how many more cards you could get with a little extra cash. Online sports betting is a fun way to get that extra cash.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Picked these six cards up off eBay for about $2 each. They were all inserts from 08 Topps Series 1. Kind of like the Chrome autos I got recently, I'm not really planning on getting all of these but I thought they'd be a nice addition to our set.HA-LC - Luis CastilloHA-SF - Sam FuldHA-TG - Tom GorzelannyHA-UJ - Ubaldo JimenezHA-SM - Scott MooreHA-CV - Carlos Villanueva

Got another good one back. Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle signed a card for the set. Mark is a three time All-Star and a World Series Champion. Needless to say, I am very glad to get this one back.# 224 - Mark BuehrleProgress: 77/990

Monday, May 25, 2009

As a player, Dusty Baker was certainly above average. He was a two-time All-Star, a World Series champion, and a Gold Glove winner. Over the past two decades, Dusty has become one of the premiere managers in the game. He has led the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and now is the manager of the Cincinnatti Reds.During his ten years with the Giants, Dusty led the team to the playoffs three times including a World Series appearance in 2002. He helped the Cubs win the NL Central in 2003. He is currently leading a young Reds team that is on the verge of becoming an NL powerhouse.While with the Giants, Dusty won three Manager of the Year awards. He is one of only a few managers to win this award multiple times.

I've gotten Dusty's autograph a few times. The card below was signed TTM during Dusty's short break from coaching.Dusty Baker - 3x NL Manager of the Year ( 1993, 1997, 2000 )

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Two time All-Star Randy Jones was the first San Diego Padres pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. After being named Comeback Player of the Year in 1975, Jones would win 22 games with an ERA of 2.74 in 1976.Randy was nice enough to sign the card below for me through the mail awhile back.

He cooks up some pretty good BBQ too. If you're ever at Petco Park, be sure to check it out.Randy Jones - 1976 NL CY

Saturday, May 23, 2009

The other day I received a package from a friend on SweetSpotGraphs.com. Very pleased to see four signed 08 Topps cards. These are a great addition to our set!# 202 - Mike Lamb# UH 37 - Conner Robertson# UH 66 - Robinson Cancel# UH 115 - Mike LambProgress: 75/990

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Picked this one up on eBay for less than $5 shipped. This is our fifth different certified auto from the 08 Chrome set. Honestly, I haven't even looked to see how many there are.I guess I'll keep my eyes out for any more great deals.# 227 - Armando Galarraga ( Chrome Certified Auto )

Sunday, May 17, 2009

I realized I hadn't done one of these all month so I figured it's time to highlight another Award Winner.For whatever reason, Roy Halladay always seems to get overlooked when the best pitchers in baseball are brought up. However, Roy is a five time All-Star. He has won 15 or more games five times which includes two 20+ win seasons.In 2003, Roy's 22 wins, 3.25 ERA, and 204 strikeouts were good enough to win him the American League Cy Young award.There has been a lot of talk early this season about Roy picking up his second Cy Young. So far he is 8-1 with a 2.78 ERA.Best of luck to Roy and the Blue Jays as they try to hold onto first place and stay ahead of the Yankees and Red Sox.Roy Halladay - 2003 AL CY

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Another good one today. Former All-Star and current Mets reliever, J.J. Putz signed a card for the set. J.J. was named to the American League All-Star team in 2007 while pitching for the Seattle Mariners.# 485 - J.J. PutzProgress: 68/990

Friday, May 15, 2009

I'm pretty sure that Yankees pitcher, Kei Igawa isn't really considered a prospect any longer. Kinda glad to get this one back because I have a feeling he may find himself pitching in Japan soon.# 188 - Kei IgawaProgress: 67/990

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Orioles relief pitcher, George Sherrill signed another card for the set. George had previsously signed his All-Star card. It's great to get his regular card back too!# UH 70 - George SherrillProgress: 66/990

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

More mail again today. Orioles relief pitcher, Chris Ray signed the card below. It was announced yesterday that George Sherrill is out as closer in Baltimore so maybe Chris will get a few more save opportunities.# 172 - Chris RayProgress: 65/990

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Another good return. This one is from Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, Andy Sonnanstine. Andy was a big part of the Rays success last year. He's off to a slower start in 2009 but I'm sure he will pull it together and put up big numbers by the end of the season.# 166 - Andy SonnanstineProgress: 63/990

Monday, May 4, 2009

Received a surprise in the mail today from zman40...Joakim Soria!I'm totally stoked to have this card. Joakim is quickly establishing himself as one of the better closers in the game. Please take a moment to check out zman40's Autograph Blog. He is going year by year posting cards from his collection. Really cool.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Finishing up the mail week in good fashion with another card for the set. Today brought Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, Ian Snell. Back in Spring Training, I was able to get Ian Kinsler to sign a card. That makes two out of three Ian's from this set.# 221 - Ian SnellProgress: 57/990

Friday, May 1, 2009

I found these on eBay for a good price so I decided to pick them up. I'm not really planning on doing anything with the Chrome set but I thought they would be a nice complement to our regular 08 Topps set. There are a few other players available, I wouldn't be surprised if I try to get those too.Chin-Lung Hu - Los Angeles DodgersMasahide Kobayashi - Cleveland IndiansEvan Meek - Pittsburgh PiratesNyjer Morgan - Pittsburgh Pirates

A good way to start off May...White Sox starting pitcher, John Danks signed the card below in a little over two weeks. John had a good season last year, winning eleven games for the American League Central Division Champions. I have a feeling John will do even better this year.# 508 - John DanksProgress: 56/990